deputies were wounded, late today, we got word that one of those deputies has died. this is the sound of one of the gunbattles recorded by our correspondent carter evans. >> >> i hear some screaming. you heard all of that gunfire. >> i see a team of sheriff's deputies right now. we are down on the ground behind some fields of our car right now with the doors open, i am talking to you with the speaker phone, we are right, right in the center of the action here. we are right where this is happening. >> christopher dorner attract add dragnet and a $1 million bounty on his head after three murders, officials say he was targeting cops and their families in a rampage of revenge

for his firing. we now have carter evans live on the phone from the scene and a live picture of the burning house where dorner is believed to have been hold up. carter, what is the latest? >> scott, i am standing about 25 yards from that burning mountain here in the mountains of san bernadino, california christopher dorner was last believed to have been inside that cabin. it is nearly burnt to the ground at this point. >> firefighters have been here for the last 45 minutes or so, but only in the last five minutes have they moved up on the scene. this fire started just a few moments after swat teams moved in and fired tear gas canisters at the cabin itself. though it is still unclear if that was the cause of this fire or if this fire was started from within that cabin. >> how much confidence do they have that dorner is actually in there and did not escape? >> i tell you this. none of the deputies i have spoken with have actually laid eyes on dorner but everyone i

spoke with was confident that that was the man that was inside that cabin. there is no way that perceivable way he could have escaped. they had this surrounded from every possible angle. they had at least four planes in the air and two helicopters watching this from the sky. so if anyone is inside that cabin, the likelihood that they could have survived this is extremely slim. i did hear one gunshot, scott moments after this fire started, since then and the reason firefighters have taken so long to move up on it is there has been a lot of ammunition that has been exploding at the center of this fire inside the cabin. >> one gunshot police authorities have speculated that dorner may have taken his own life, but certainly we don't have any confirmation of that fact at this point. carter evans on the scene for us there, thank you very much carter. >> police believe dorner's

rampage began a week and a half ago when a couple was murdered in irvine, california, one of the victims was the daughter of a retired police captain who had defended dorner in a disciplinary hearing that led to his firing by the lapd. police spotted dorner early last thursday but he escaped after allegedly shooting 2 la cops. he is also accused of ambushing two riverside policemen killing one of them. investigators found his burned out truck in the mountains northeast of la. our senior correspondent john miller once headed up the major crimes division of the lapd, john, what do you know at this hour? >> well, scott this started today at 12:20 with a report from a couple that said a man came into their cabin tied them up and taken off with their truck. police fanned out in the area and closed in on that truck. it rammed into a snowbank, and then they chased the man they believed to be christopher dorner up to the area of that cabin. and of course there was the big

shoot-out, so now the question is, as they begin to just, for the first time put water on that fire when will they be able to get in there? what will they find? and will they be able to identify a body if it is in there? >> john, thank you. >>the in another major story tonight we are hearing from the white house that the president will announce a plan to withdraw half of the american troops fighting in afghanistan. shortly, president obama will leave the white house and head here to the capitol, where he will make the afghan announcement as part of the state of the union address. a new cbs news poll out tonighte pr finds the president's job approval rating at 52%, but he gets poor grades on his handling of the economy. while 45% approve of the job he's doing, 49% disapprove which is why the economy, with unemployment at 7.9%, will get a lot of attention tonight.

major garrett is at the white house for us tonight. major? >> reporter: scott, democrats briefed by the white house tell us there will be specific new ideas from president obama, some he's never proposed before, to increase wages and boost federal investment in manufacturingar research. there will be other initiatives as well, and we are told the president will make it clear to congress, if it doesn't act, he is prepared-- at least in someress cases-- to use executive authority.se the president's speech will begin and end with a focus on the economy. in one excerpt, mr. obama will say, "every day, we should a aske ourselves three questions as a nation:act how do we attract more jobs to our shores? how do we equip our people with the skills needed to do those jobs? how do we make sure that hard work leads to a decent living?" those briefed on the president'sd plan say there will be tens ofens billions in new spending on infrastructure and manufacturing. but mr. obama will also say those programs are "fully paid for and fully consistent with the budget framework both parties agreed to just 18 months ago.

let me repeat-- nothing i'm proposing tonight should increase our deficit by a single dime. it's not a bigger government we need, but a smarter government that sets priorities and invests in broad-based growth." the president will also continue his push for gun control and comprehensive immigration reform. but, scott, we're told by white house officials there will be no new ideas for those two issues because the white house says the underlying legislative politics are complicated enough. >> pelley: major, thank you. on that afghanistan announcement, there are 66,000 americans fighting there tonight. mr. obama intends to bring home 34,000 of them by this time next. year. most u.s. combat troops are due home by the end of 2014. charlie d'agata is at our afghan bureau in the capital, kabul and, charlie, i wonder, what is this going to mean to the troops on the ground? >> reporter: well, the key question, scott, is the time frame. any commanders here will tell you that they want as many boots on the ground for as long asg

they can, certainly through the summer and the fall, when thethe fighting picks up against the taliban. and there's a lot of work to be done, especially along eastern afghanistan, where insurgents have been infiltrating from safeee havens in pakistan. they're holding territory there. they're launching attacks heretack in kabul. u.s. troops are also focused on the south around kandahar, the birthplace of the taliban. now, it's been announced that the afghans will be taking then lead in the spring. but what we've seen for ourselves is u.s. forces fighting right alongside them, providing the firepower, air support and medical evacuation. >> pelley: charlie d'agata in kabul. charlie, thank you. the president's facing anotheronal national security challenge tonight. late last night, north korea conducted an underground nuclear test, its third test. this could be a crucial step toward building a bomb that could fit on a missile capable of striking the u.s. the u.n. security council condemned north korea's test and the u.s. is threatening to

impose additional economic sanctions. at the state of the union address tonight, there will be a great deal said about compromise and bipartisanship, but in reality, there seems to be very m little mood for it. today, in a meeting withrt reporters but no cameras, johnsp boehner, the republican speakerid t of the house, said this of the president and deficit reduction: those of us in the room asked the speaker if he meant what he said and he repeated it. the speaker was also asked about whether he would be open to president obama's proposal tota raise tax revenue by closing loopholes in the tax code. he was referring to the recent tax rate increase on wealthier americans. bob schieffer is our chief washington correspondent and anchor of "face the nation." bob, you were in that breakfast with the speaker, he didn't seem open to change. >> no.

what was interesting about it to me, scott, is he was not particularly angry. he just seemed like someone who'd kind of come to the end of his rope.o. he said at one point, you know n he said, "i've tried nonstop for two years to deal with the president," and he said "i get burned every time." he said, "i'm hoping we'll hear something -- some sort of something... a call to get together on something." but he said, "it just does not seem to be happening." i thought he was speaking kind of more out of dismay andhe despair than anger. the one thing he said, he said "the president is simply notl, engaged with the congress." he said not at the presidential level, not even at the staff level. so, i don't know what the president's going to say tonight, but so far, republicans don't seem to be expecting very much. >> pelley: looking forward to seeing you here later for the state of the union, bob. thank you very much. just a short while ago at the capitol, we spoke with the number-two republican in the

house, majority leader eric cantor of virginia. speaker boehner this morning told a group of reporters overbr breakfast, and i'll quote, that the president "does not have the guts to do what needs to be done." that's pretty personal, and i wonder if it's helpful in terms of reaching compromise on legislation? >> i didn't hear the speaker say that. what i would say is there's alt lot of frustration, i know about the lack of results here in washington, and we do have to redouble our efforts. and i believe strongly, seter aside differences and find where the common ground is. >> pelley: can you give meso something specific, congressman, that you agree with the president on? that could actually pass? >> i'm hoping that education would certainly be one that we can work together on.

i know that, initially, the president himself embraced reform in education. i know his secretary of education has also been an advocate for that. >> pelley: we're hearing republicans talk about different we things since the election., we're hearing you talk about families, the folks at home that are striving to make it, and the ways that government can be helpful to those people. it is a different face for the party. >> well, i think that what you're seeing is a republican party that says, you know, we have principles of self- reliance, of faith in the individual and family, insistence on the accountability in government. and these principles can actually be put to work and connect with real challenges that people are facing in their everyday lives. >> pelley: house majority leader eric cantor. cbs news live coverage of the president's state of the union address, and the republican response, begins at 9:00 eastern time, 8:00 central. that's 6:00 in the west. the president's controversial nomination of republican chuck hagel to be secretary of defense

is moving ahead. the senate armed servicesna committee voted 14-11 today toto send it to the full senate, and a vote there is expected by thursday. we'll have the latest on a chicago murder that got the attention of the white house. we we'll show you where the pope will live in retirement. and it is misery at sea aboard a stranded cruise ship when the "cbs evening news" continues from washington. on. d chills- the flu's a really big deal. so why treat it like it's a little cold? there's something that works differently than over-the-counter remedies. prescription tamiflu attacks the flu virus at its source. so don't wait. call your doctor right away. tamiflu is prescription medicine for treating the flu in adults and children one year and older whose flu symptoms started within the last two days. before taking tamiflu tell your doctor if you're pregnant, nursing. have serious health conditions,

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>> pelley: among the first lady's guests here at the capitol for tonight's state of the union address are the parents of hadiya pendleton. the 15-year-old honors student was shot to death not far from the obama's chicago home, an innocent victim of the city's gang wars. today, two suspects were ordered held without bail, and dean reynolds has more. >> reporter: chicago detectives flooded the area of the city park where hadiya pendleton was killed last month, and they were led to the suspects with the help of surveillance videos and interviews with parolees in the neighborhood. alleged gang members michael ward, 18-- who police say has already confessed-- and kenneth williams, 20, were picked up saturday night and charged on monday. chicago police superintendent gary mccarthy. >> they thought the group they shot into included members of a rival gang. instead, it was a group of upstanding, determined kids like hadiya who were repulsed by the

gang lifestyle. hadiya's parents, invited to the state of the union in washington, were relieved. cleopatra cowley is her mother. >> i can't close the book on my child, but i'm very excited that the murderers who hurt my baby have been caught. >> reporter: ward, the alleged trigger man, has a long criminal record. but the police noted that when he pleaded guilty to unlawful use of a firearm about a year ago, he was given probation, and he stayed free despite three subsequent arrests. >> this has to stop. gun offenders have to do significant jail time. >> reporter: tom burns says illinois' gun laws are undermined by a lack of mandatory minimum sentences for gun violations. >> if you get caught with a gun and there's a minimum sentencing, you're going to be off the streets for a while. you're not going to have that opportunity within six months of being caught with a gun to shoot somebody else. >> reporter: but if convicted in this case, scott, the two suspects could face life in

prison. >> pelley: dean, thank you. the vatican said today that pope benedict will have nothing to say about the election of his successor next month. the pope ordered this former convent in vatican city renovated. it will be his retirement home. and we learned today that the pope has been living with a pacemaker since before he was elected pope. we'll be back in just a moment.

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about a major withdrawal of u.s. forces from afghanistan. it is coming more than 11 years after the american invasion broke the long dark night of taliban rule. on this night at carnegie hall in new york city, the curtain will be going up on one of the many small miracles made possible by the american sacrifice. here's seth doane. >> reporter: milad yousufi grew up in war-torn afghanistan, and though he did not have a piano he did have an imagination. >> reporter: wait a second, you drew a picture of a piano and you pretended to play? >> yeah, yeah. >> reporter: because there was no access to a piano? >> yeah, yeah. >> reporter: no access because the taliban, who controlled afghanistan for five years banned all non-religious music.

>> reporter: today, the taliban is out of power and 18-year-old yousufi is making up for lost time. he's joined afghanistan's first youth orchestra which, thanks to american funding, is on tour in the u.s. >> afghan music is three plus four. >> reporter: we met as they practiced with the maryland youth orchestra. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ how is it to play with american students? >> reporter: the orchestra is the brainchild of achmed sarmast who fled afghanistan during taliban rule. he returned in 2008, the mission of reviving the arts by opening a music school. >> reporter: why is music so important?

>> reporter: his students are ages ten to 21; half are orphans or street kids. and in a country where women typically have few opportunities, they make up a third of the music school. >> reporter: on this night, that language resonated throughout washington's famed kennedy center. 48 musicians playing vivaldi and longing for their own season of change-- an afghanistan without war. seth doane, cbs news washington. >> pelley: stay with us. we will have an update on that southern california siege coming up next.

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and some eye problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking advair. if you're still having difficulty breathing, ask your doctor if including advair could help improve your lung function. get your first full prescription free and save on refills at advaircopd.com. >> pelley: updating our top story now, police have surrounded a burning house in the mountains of san bernadino county california, east of los angeles. they believe that christopher dorner, the fired la cop wanted for a murderous rampage is inside. carter evans is at the scene and joins us now by phone. carter, what do you know? >> scott when we pulled up on the scene around 12:30 this

afternoon, it was in the middle of an intense gunfight between the person in that cabin believed to be christopher dorner and sheriff's deputies since then, two deputies have been hit by that gunfire, one has passed away. in the meantime, swat teams moved in on this cabin and over a period of a couple of hours they shot canisters of tear gas inside the cabin. shortly after those last round of tear gas were fired that cabin erupted into flames, it is still unclear at this point if the tear gas canisters caused the fire or if that fire was started from within. it looks impossible that anyone could have survived this inferno, there has been a lot of ammunition blowing up and it has taken a while before firefighters have been able to move in, but they are now beginning to get water on this fire and it will be some time before police can identify anyone who may have been inside. scott. >> pelley: and police are telling us there is no indication that christopher dorner managed to escape.

that is our special western edition of the cbs evening news for tonight. we will be right back at 6:00 o'clock with live coverage of the state of the union address with thanks to the jones day law firm for this view of the capitol and for all of us at cbs news all around the world i am scott pelley, see you in a minute.